Christianity in the later Middle Ages was flourishing, popular and vibrant and the institutional church was generally popular - in stark contrast to the picture of corruption and decline painted by the later Reformers which persists even today. Norman Tanner, the pre-eminent historian of the later medieval church, provides a rich and authoritative history of religion in this pivotal period. Despite signs of turbulence and demands for reform, he demonstrates that the church remained powerful, self-confident and deeply rooted. Weaving together key themes of religious history - the Christian roots of Europe; the crusades; the problematic question of the Inquisition; the relationship between the church and secular state; the central role of monasticism; and, the independence of the English church - "The Ages of Faith" is an impressive tribute to a lifetime's research into this subject. But to many readers the central fascination of "The Ages of Faith" will be its perceptive insights into popular and individual spiritual experience: sin, piety, penance, heresy, the role of the mystics and even 'making merry'."The Ages of Faith" is a major contribution to the Reformation debate and offers a revealing vision of individual and popular religion in an important period so long obscured by the drama of the Reformation.

Table of Contents:The Reformation and Realism: Further Reflections on the Church in Late Medieval NorwichPrivate Life in the Middle AgesMedieval Crusade Decrees and Ignatius's Meditation on the KingdomMedieval Christendom and the Restoration of a Christian SocietyDo North Americans Understand the Middle Ages Better than Europeans?Sin in the Middle AgesPiety in the Later Middle AgesSources for Popular Religion in Late Medieval EnglandMaking Merry in the Middle AgesPenances Imposed on Kentish Lollards by Archbishop Warham Reception of First Seven Ecumenical Council by Medieval and Later General Councils for the Western ChurchCry God for Harry! England and St George!Christian vs. Paganism? Reflections on Medieval EuropePastoral Care: The Fourth Lateran Council of 1215The Council of Florence 1439-1445 - Inquisition and Holy OfficeThe Council of TrentThe Study of English Medieval Recluses in the Twentieth CenturyCanon Law in England, Hermits and Anchorites, Popular ReligionReligious Practice in Norwich